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Enforcement Activities

The Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate (Inspectorate) is responsible for activities concerning compliance and enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act (with the exception of products regulated as foods which are the responsibility of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)). This act and its associated regulations set standards for quality, health and safety, conditions for sale and the prevention of fraud for human and veterinary drugs, medical devices, natural health products and biological and related biotechnology products. Enforcement and compliance activities include the delivery of inspections, investigations, most establishment licensing and related laboratory analysis functions.

The Inspectorate's decision-making process is guided by the level of risk to the health of Canadians and will follow the risk management decision-making principles outlined in the Health Canada Decision-Making Framework document. Compliance and enforcement activities is directed at the earliest point of distribution to achieve the greatest impact and efficiency. Whether a compliance issue is identified through a trade or consumer complaint or other source, the priority given will be based on the level of risk.

Where non-compliance is brought to the attention of a regulated party by the Inspectorate, it is the regulated party's responsibility to take timely and appropriate action to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements. The Inspectorate evaluates instances of non-compliance to determine the most appropriate action(s) to be taken.

Please do not include sensitive personal information in the message box, such as your name, address, Social Insurance Number, personal finances, medical or work history or any other information by which you or anyone else can be identified by your comments or views.

Any personal information collected will be administered in accordance with the Department of Employment and Social Development Act, the Privacy Act and other applicable privacy laws governing the protection of personal information under the control of the Department of Employment and Social Development. Survey responses will not be attributed to individuals.

If you wish to obtain information related to this survey, you may submit a request to the Department of Employment and Social Development pursuant to the Access to Information Act. Instructions for making a request are provided in the publication InfoSource, copies of which are located in local Service Canada Centres.

You have the right to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding the institution’s handling of your personal information at: How to file a complaint.

When making a request, please refer to the name of this survey: Report a Problem or Mistake on This Page.